The Stash

The other day I was in a cleaning mood. I vacuumed all the floors, made all the beds - even Chloe's. And to my surprise, found this behind her bed. You know my brain went wild with questions: Why? Why 4 boxes? Are all the boxes empty? Does she not know how to recycle boxes? Who needs that many cheese-its? When is she eating these? Why am I just now learning about this? Does she have a cheese-it fetish? Also, why ramen still in a bag? Has she read any of those books propping up her food stash? Should I be concerned? At what point do we need to have a cheese-it intervention for her?  I could go on, but I'll spare you because: Chloe. There are no answers. It is what it is. SMH. #facepalm
 

Bennett's Turf

 

This past weekend, while Chloe was off enjoying Florida, Chuck and I road tripped it to The Springs to visit Bennett at school. He has adapted to his new home quite nicely.

Luckily, we got there just in time to enjoy breakfast in one of the most beautiful school cafeterias I've ever seen. And the food was good, too - unlike my memories of college cafeteria food.

And it was a good thing we had such a hearty breakfast because we sure needed it to climb this little formation. This is called Pulpit Rock and it's right in the middle of Colorado Springs. 

 

 

Bennett told us there are three ways up - the boring way, the easy way, or the "fun" way. It was a no-brainer that we would be taking the "fun" way, especially since Bennett was our trail guide. Come to find out, he's only ever hiked this trail at night. This would be his first day time excursion. I imagine the "fun" way to be even "funner" in the pitch dark. 

 

It wasn't a long hike, but it did go straight up, required lots of huffing and puffing and many rest stops (at least it did for me), and sometimes outright climbing up rocks. We are not known for doing things the easy way. However, we made it to the top, with these photos as proof. 

 

 

A pretty perfect day for a hike.

Don't know why we wore out backpacks...there was no place to set up our hammocks. But we are ever ready, just in case. We wear them when we don't need to and forget them when we need them - the story of our life.

My sweet boy.

Right after the first hike, we took a second hike up the bluffs behind the school. We were treated to a set of pull up bars once we reached the top - just what I was hoping for. As if he needed to prove his youth and invincibility to us, Bennett did a set of 10 pull ups immediately upon making it to the top without so much as a huff or a puff or any sweating. I found the nearest thing to sit on and promptly sat my shaking legs down and gasped for air.

But the views sure are nice from the top!

Spring Break Happiness

 

This crazy group of people right here is all I need. This was a special, unexpected treat! We didn't think we'd all be back together again until this summer. Then suddenly, we got two whole days all together this March and there was lots of love, happiness, and laughter abounding again. The house is so quiet nowadays that I welcome the chaos, late bedtimes, noise, lots of groceries, and activity that comes with a full house again.

 

 

Turns out Gavin was able to join us for the last few days of his spring break and was flying into town the exact same day his roommate and friend Collin had already planned on coming to town to visit Estes Park for a class project. The three of us had an awesome day exploring the entire town.

 

The weather was perfect, the company fun, and the town perfectly uncrowded (a rarity).

 

Collin and I even bought matching sweatshirts. We're twining!

The rest of the time was spent in conversation and/or chess competitions. I opted out of chess, but the boys sure did enjoy it.

The following day we enjoyed ice cream in Old Town and the CSU Art Museum (Chloe was at work).

Getting any type of pictures together was like pulling teeth. I just wanted a simple memory of all of us together and it digressed into a complete charade. But what they didn't know was that I treasure any picture together - crazy, posed, or candid - I just love remembering our time together.

These people are my absolute favorite! The older the kids get, the better this parenting gig gets. They are the best! We like each other. We want to be together. They are fun (if not a little crazy and stay up way too late!). Time together is a gift I will always treasure and never take for granted. As they grow and go down their own paths, I take such joy in watching them come into their own and thrive in this world. We are cheering them on from afar, and when we can, close together.